Cantor, de Blasio Trade Swipes on School Choice

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announces his appointment for schools chancellor in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Dec. 30.

Andrew Hinderaker for The Wall Street Journal

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) took a swipe at New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in a speech touting school choice Wednesday, calling the newly inaugurated mayor’s efforts to restrict charter school growth harmful to children and families.

Mr. Cantor, speaking at the Brookings Institution on the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty, urged Senate action on a House-passed bill called the Student Success Act. The GOP-backed legislation would give states and school districts more authority over their federal funding and eliminates federal regulations requiring states to set student achievement goals. He also advocated a policy that would allow federal funding for low-income schools to follow the students, not the schools.

In a prepared speech, Mr. Cantor praised former Mayor Michael Bloomberg for implementing charter school-friendly policies, and warned that Mr. de Blasio’s intent to limit those schools will “hurt kids and their families.” The policy changes “ought not to go into effect,” he said in response to an audience question.

Mr. de Blasio’s has pledged to charge what he called “well-resourced” charter schools rent for public space they use in the city. Mr. Cantor said such a move could “devastate the growth of education opportunity in such a competitive real estate market like New York City.”

He added that House committees would “remain vigilant” in addressing attempts to thwart the growth of the school choice movement. “Mayor de Blasio’s announced policies…to me are in conflict with the federal programs that are designed to help facilitate the growth and success of school choice,” he said.

In a written statement released by his office, he called school choice a “dangerous philosophy that turns its back on public education.” Mr. de Blasio said such policies have failed “many times before,” adding that “the Republican agenda in Washington doesn’t even scratch the surface of the inequities facing more than a million children in our public schools.”

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